28 letters to Sr. Majella McCarron and 27 poemsClear and direct, these letters and poems are the last expression of a voice the regime was determined to silence Smuggled out in breadbaskets

2009 – Shell Out of Court Settlement with relatives for US $15 million

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Transcript of "The Death-Row Correspondence of Ken Saro-Wiwa: Creating a Book and Audio Archive from a Unique Library Collection"

2.
Background
• November 2011
– Donation of 28 letters and 27 poems written by
Ken Saro-Wiwa to the Library at NUI Maynooth
• November 2013
– Publication of “Silence Would be Treason: Last
Writings of Ken Saro-Wiwa” edited by Íde Corley, Helen Fallon
& Laurence Cox
– Launch of “Ken Saro-Wiwa Audio Archive” produced
by NUI Maynooth Library and Kairos Communications

3.
Ken Saro-Wiwa
• leading Nigerian and African
writer novelist, playwright, nonfiction writer, children’s
books and television writer
• Businessman
• Major figure in Nigerian
politics; his support for the
autonomy of the Ogoni
people led to his removal
from office in 1973

4.
Founder of MOSOP
Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni
People (MOSOP)
highlighted the issue of environmental
survival in the face of massive oil and gas
extraction in the Niger Delta and the
associated oil leaks, gas flaring and other
environmental crises threatening livelihoods

9.
Detention
• MOSOP challenged those who benefitted from
the oil: the oil and gas multinationals and the
Nigerian military government
• Ogoni occupied by the Nigerian military;
destruction of villages; an estimated 750
people killed and 30,000 left homeless
• Saro-Wiwa and held for a month and a day

13.
1994 May – Saro-Wiwa re-arrested, together
with eight other activists, on trumped-up
charges of involvement in the deaths of four
Ogoni chiefs despite the fact that police had
refused him entry to Ogoniland on the day
of the killings

20.
Book Concept
• Three main presentations
– Helen Fallon (Library), Dr. Íde Corley (English), Dr.
Laurence Cox (Sociology)
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Massive international media coverage
Idea of bringing letters to a wider audience
Team of three set out to edit letters
2 years from handover to publication

26.
13/7/94
Dear Sr.,
I got your letter, and many thanks. I don’t remember what I wrote to you, I
think I wrote in a very great hurry and so was not able to express myself clearly, maybe.
Of course, I know that you are all with me in spirit and am very encouraged
thereby. Nor did I imagine that you were doing nothing. But I have no access to
newspapers or radio, and I was in chains—which was quite depressing. The chains now
sit on my table, a reminder that they can go on at any time.
My condition is not very bad. I have an air-conditioned room to myself, and
the electricity has only failed once. I can write and only yesterday succeeded in
smuggling my computer into this place. I can cook (though I cannot cook) for myself
and from time to time, I can smuggle out letters. The only thing is that family
members, lawyers and doctor are not allowed to see me. The military doctor came just
once and wrote a recommendation that I be sent to the University Teaching Hospital.
The Military Administrator [Lt.-Col. Duada Musa Komo] has ignored the
recommendation which makes me believe that he wants me dead. I’ve also seen the
scurrilous things he’s said about me in Quality magazine. It’s annoying! In my first
month here, I had only the Bible for reading. I decided to read it from cover to cover. I
was very disturbed by the violence in the book of Joshua. The soldier who owned the
Bible has taken it away. I had gotten to the lamentations of Jeremiah. Of course, the
Bible is a great book. I’ve since had access to other books and my mind is wellnourished. With the computer now here, I think I’ll be quite busy.
My worry, as ever, is the Ogoni people. With all MOSOP people out of the
way, the protection which we offered the people is gone.

27.
20/10/93
Dear Sr. Majella,
Thanks for your note. I’m really quite happy to have EC [European Commission]
help pass through the Catholic Church. You’ve all been so supportive and
MOSOP will be right glad to have such friends or supervisors. Please do not have
any doubts whatsoever on that score. We are so swamped with responsibilities
that having some of it off our necks is sheer relief. I’ll tell UNPO [Unrepresented
Nations and Peoples Organization] about the Brussels connection. They will be
able to drum up support from other European countries.
4.30 on Sunday is okay - more so as my last rally is at Bori at about that time.
I’m in Lagos until Friday morning. If there is anything to discuss with me, ring on
[telephone number provided]. The other tel. no. is dead.
Regards,
Ken.

28.
The Poems
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27 Poems
Most had been published
Copyright lies with estate
Poem for Sr Majella McCarron
Permission granted
Poem written by Sister Majella included